Foundations of Western Civilization

This university-level course provides a journey through Western civilization's major eras and cultural achievements, uniquely analyzed through both Chinese and Jewish lenses. Designed for Chinese college and high school students aspiring to study abroad and possessing strong English language skills, the course emphasizes Western historical foundations, values, and philosophies. Conducted via Zoom for 15 sessions of 1 hour and 40 minutes each, the course will run from January 21 to February 27, 2025. Upon completion, students will earn 3 academic credits from and will receive a recommendation letter from the instructor, Dean Cohen. Specialized workshops and coaching in academic English, research methodologies, and writing skills will enable students to compose a high-quality final research paper. Outstanding papers are eligible for further guidance toward publication in the online journal Chinese-Jewish Conversations.

Course Topics (customizable based on student needs): 

1. Introduction: Mesopotamia and Egypt—foundations of Western civilization, compared with Shang and Xia civilizations.  
2. Law and society in ancient Israel: The Pentateuch, Kings David and Solomon’s influence on Western civilization, and a comparison to Zhou Dynasty humanism.  
3. Ancient Greece: Democracy, philosophy, and ethics, compared to Confucianism; Greek-Jewish interactions.  
4. The Roman Empire: Roman law and governance, and the Jewish experience under Roman rule.  
5. The rise of Christianity: Its impact on Western civilization and comparison with Confucianism’s role in Chinese culture.  
6. Medieval Europe: Christianity vs. Islam; Scholasticism and Jewish intellectual movements alongside Neo-Confucianism during the Song Dynasty.  
7. The Renaissance: The rebirth of European culture, the rise of universities, Jewish learning, compared to Ming Dynasty evidential research.  
8. The Enlightenment: Challenges to religion, the rise of democratic concepts, the Jewish Enlightenment, and Qing Dynasty educational reforms.  
9. Industrialization: Its social impact, Karl Marx’s influence, the birth of Reform Judaism vs. the Eastern European Hasidic movement.  
10. 20th Century Upheavals: World Wars, the Holocaust, new Jewish identities, and China's transition to communism.  
11. Jewish involvement in business: Banking, real estate, the NBA, and technological innovation.  
12. Climate change and human society.  
13. Future civilizations: Artificial intelligence.

Questions to be discussed in this course include:  

1. How do Confucianism and classical Chinese philosophy compare with Jewish classics like the Bible and Talmud and Western classics like Greek philosophy? How are these ancient ideas still relevant in today’s world?
2. How do Western ideas about freedom and free speech compare to the values of Jewish and Chinese cultures? During significant periods of political and social change in modern times, how did these cultures seek to balance old traditions with new ideas? Do you think people today still face the conflict between pursuing personal freedom and adhering to traditional values?
3. How did Ruth Bader Ginsburg use both American values of freedom and Jewish values of justice in her career? Are there similar challenges in China today where people balance traditional values with modern ideas, like Ginsburg did?
4. How has the idea of feminism developed in Chinese society, the West, and in Jewish culture? Do you think these ideas about women’s roles are changing in similar or different ways today
5. Why do you think Jewish people have been successful in technology and business? Do you see any similar values or habits in Chinese culture that help with success in these areas?
6. How does the way Jewish people study the Talmud encourage new ideas and creative thinking? Do you think this style of learning could be helpful in modern education, including in China?

Instructors

1. Professor Mordechai Z. Cohen, Associate Dean of the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies and Director of the Chinese-Jewish Conversation
2. Professor He (Henry) Huang, distinguished Professor of Accounting and the Director of the Syms Masters of Science in Accounting Program at ’s Sy Syms School of Business. 
3. Ms Borong Zhang, MA in East Asian Studies, University of Toronto (2022); PhD candidate in Religious Studies, Indiana University (currently)
4. Ms Kedi He, MS in Education, University of Pennsylvania (2022), specializing in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Professor Cohen will be the main lecturer. Professor Huang will deliver lectures on business and technology. Ms Zhang will lecture on classical Chinese philosophy and provide a summary of each lecture in Chinese. Ms He will provide coaching in academic English vocabulary based on the lectures. In addition, Ms Zhang and Ms He will guide students in the skills necessary to write a publishable English academic paper.

More about the Instructors

Mordechai Cohen (BA in Philosophy and Math, , 1987; MA in Comparative Literature Columbia University, 1989; PhD , 1994), has taught at since 1988 and has lectured at universities in Europe, Israel, and China. The areas of his scholarship are Jewish classical texts and thought from comparative perspectives—with Christianity, Islam, Western thought, and, most recently, Chinese philosophy and classicals texts. Among his publications are Three Approaches to Biblical Metaphor (Brill Academic Publishers 2003; 2nd edition 2008), Opening the Gates of Interpretation (Brill Academic Publishers 2011), The Rule of Peshat (University of Pennsylvania Press 2020), and Rashi, Biblical Interpretation, and Latin Learning (Cambridge University Press 2021). In 2010/11, Cohen directed a fourteen-member international research group at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies in Jerusalem that culminated in the publication of Interpreting Scriptures in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Cambridge University Press 2016). Cohen has taught an annual summer seminar at the Shandong University Center for Judaic and Inter-religious studies in Jinan, China since 2016, and has participated in philosophical conferences in Beijing. Having learned Mandarin, Cohen developed a network of Chinese scholars worldwide interested in engaging with Jewish learning in comparison with Chinese tradition. Since 2018 Cohen has implemented this vision through the Chinese-Jewish Conversation at , which he directs. Since 2020 he has been working on an electronic book project titled 走进犹太文化, published in installments online at Together with Borong Zhang, he is currently working on a study entitled “Re-creating Canonical Texts through Commentary: Neo-Confucianism of the Song Dynasty and Medieval Jewish Bible Interpretation.”

Dr. Henry Huang graduated with a Bachelor's degree from the Department of Law at Peking University. He is a distinguished Professor of Accounting and the Director of the Syms Masters of Science in Accounting Program at ’s Sy Syms School of Business. With a Ph.D. in accounting and law degrees from both the U.S. and China, Dr. Huang brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to his teaching and research. His expertise encompasses international investment, accounting information systems, securities litigation, and entrepreneurial planning. Dr. Huang's research, widely cited by academic and professional circles, delves into the impact of external monitoring mechanisms on accounting practices and governance. He has an extensive publication record in leading journals, exploring topics ranging from climate change to cyber-security's value relevance. Prior to his tenure at , Dr. Huang taught at esteemed institutions including the University of Houston and Butler University. His commitment to advancing knowledge in accounting and finance underscores his dedication to academic excellence and innovation.

Borong Zhang is currently pursuing her PhD in Religious Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, with a specialization in Chinese thought and epistemology. Since 2021, she has held teaching assistantships in various Chinese literature and philosophy subjects at the University of Toronto. During this period, she designed a series of seminars to help undergraduates understand the breadth and depth of Chinese thought and the complex cultural connotations of China. Since 2020, Borong has been a major participant in academic research and writing at the CJC, leading her to a keen interest in exploring the comparative relationship between Chinese and Jewish cultures.

Kedi He has been teaching English as a second language to a wide range of age groups since 2017. Drawing upon her pedagogic training and classroom experience, she effectively adjusts her teaching strategies to maximize the learning experiences diverse types of students on varying levels—from beginner to advanced. Furthermore, she is well acquainted with both the Chinese and American educational systems, and has devised innovative teaching methods that integrate the distinctive features of both, providing students with comprehensive English language skills.